This is our first time cruise with HAL. We(with my DW and 2 kids) are booked on the Volendam (Alaska cruise) in July 2008 . I have been a Disney and RCCL cruiser.

Our Family drink a lot of water and we always carry some on board so we can drink it in our room. I have no problem to bring soda and water on board for our Disney and RCCL cruise. However, I do not know the "regulations" for bringing water or soda pop on board for HAL, can someone please advise if this is a restriction on HAL? Thanks for your help!

You can bring all the water, soda and wine aboard that you want. Really the water aboard the ship was as good as any bottled water you can purchase, I would suggest just a few bottles and then refill thema s needed.

Someone else mentioned that the water onboard is as good as bottled water. My wife and I are water snobs. We will both turn our noses up at a lot of bottled water. We both thought the water from the ship's tap tasted better than the brand they sold on the ship.

The dining room water was excellent.

I agree, fill your bottles up from the ship's tap. Even better yet, fill up a Camelback from the ship's tap. Also, you will have a bucket of ice in your room. If that's not enough, you can request your room steward to keep two buckets in your room or you can go to the Lido and get crushed ice.

I like my Camelback because its very comfortable, it carries water well, and I can carry a couple of extra things in the pack. It's very convenient to drink from and really beats carrying a water bottle. Cleaning the bladder is a drag and you will have to bring a small bottle of soap on the ship. Still beats lugging a case of water onto the ship.

We prefer to keep the weight down so our bags are not too heavy so we just bring 2 bottles of water on board and fill them up as we go along. The ship water is very good. We do bring wine on, we usually have one piece of luggage pretty full of nothing but wine.

Nita

ps, with UALs new policy on more than one peice of luggage being shipped, we will have to re-think this whole thing.

Each time I tried to get snacks, water, soda they saw it in the carry on or back packs worst case was when i put it in my luggage and they removed it. It is in the rules .You cant carry on anything like that. I was mad at first but then realized if they found my soda- they are checking the bags which is GREAT ... P.S. Buy a soda card-unlimited and a bargain.

Yes, we buy the soda card as well. Great for the deck and dining room but not so hot when you want one in your room or want a can instead of the sometimes flat, fountain drink. I take a can on the excursions as well. Since we buy the card too I don't feel so guilty about bringing my own as well!

We have carried a case on board, out in the open, with Princess the past 2 years and have seen flats of water coming on board as well! Since I asked HAL directly I think the rules may have relaxed a bit. I know the rules still stand for liquor though.

Each time I tried to get snacks, water, soda they saw it in the carry on or back packs worst case was when i put it in my luggage and they removed it. It is in the rules .You cant carry on anything like that. I was mad at first but then realized if they found my soda- they are checking the bags which is GREAT ... P.S. Buy a soda card-unlimited and a bargain.

Was this on a HAL ship?

They have no rule about not bringing on water, soda, wine or champagne, whether it is in your checked or carry-on luggage. You can bring on as much as you want.

Now, you can't take any food off the ship in the various ports, except maybe packaged crackers and cheese, but other snacks, particularly fruit are forbidden by the authorities in the various ports, not HAL. I believe that HAL will not let you bring fruit from the various ports on board.

Yes, we buy the soda card as well. Great for the deck and dining room but not so hot when you want one in your room or want a can instead of the sometimes flat, fountain drink. I take a can on the excursions as well. Since we buy the card too I don't feel so guilty about bringing my own as well!

We have carried a case on board, out in the open, with Princess the past 2 years and have seen flats of water coming on board as well! Since I asked HAL directly I think the rules may have relaxed a bit. I know the rules still stand for liquor though.

On our HAL cruise, each soda was opened from a fresh can. After pouring into the glass the can was given also. Never saw a soda fountain machine.

That's funny because when we stopped in Honolulu in '97, my friend who lives there took us on a tour and we stopped at a roadside Orchid farm and I bought a large bouquet of the baby orchids and had no trouble bringing them on to the ship. Maybe things have changed. I don't know.

Maybe they don't allow it at the port of embarkation, like Vancouver or Seattle as you are doing an Alaska cruise.

We found the water on both HAL and RCI better then bottled water.
The water produced on board is almost pure water with no additives etc.
The process they use is better then bottled. Bottled water is usually just filter thru an reverse osmosis unit. The water on board is actually distilled water produced by the excess heat of the engines.

This is my first time on HAL so I kind of piggy bag here... What about snack? Can I bring some of my specialty snacks on board? I don't like power bar or chip or chocolate and get hungry very often :-)

This is my first time on HAL so I kind of piggy bag here... What about snack? Can I bring some of my specialty snacks on board? I don't like power bar or chip or chocolate and get hungry very often :-)

Thanks,
PC

What kind of specialty snacks are you talking about?

Believe me, you will never go hungry on a HAL ship. There's always 24 hour room service and other places to get snacks. Don't forget the FREE ice cream bar.

We always go shopping at our first stop - was a bit of a challenge finding
a store in Cabo selling Pepsi - finally got some on one of the back streets
by the pier. No problem bringing back on ship (Celebrity) - I think the soda cards are unnecessary ($ 5 per day per person for pop, come'on = $ 70 for our 14 days on board) - we like the ice tea and lemonade with lunch
and just keep the Pepsi for our room. You can also buy some snacks along in your carryons.

Are you coming in the day before the cruise departs??? Just go shopping
before boarding the ship regarding your soda and snacks. Personally
I would be worried about breakage if I packed in my checked luggage
for the airplane ride. Or you could always pack some up in a box and
check it with your luggage for the plane. Personally, I wouldn't go to
that extreme. We have had no problems finding soda/pop at our first
port of call.

On HAL they sell a prepaid Soda/Juice card. I think there is about 20 drinks per card with a cost of 40USD. They also give you a special glass(travel mug) to carry you soda around the ship

I thing you are wrong. The card is only for fountain soda, not juices and costs $20.70 for "20 glasses of fountain soda", which are pretty watery. Sometimes the bar waiter will pour a glass from a can, but usually it's "fountain soda". They don't "give" you the special glass/travel mug - you pay for that. Maybe that's why you paid $40 for you card.

I, personally don't think the cards are worth the money, unless you drink a lot of soda.

The "soda cups" are the large ones like you see at the country fairs
- personally, I wouldn't want to be having to carry it around the boat
with me - you can't take them onshore (Not sure about that) and our
12 large (24 oz) bottles of Pepsi cost $ 12 in Cabo San Lucas. They also
lasted us for the entire trip.

On the Rydam a 20 drink soda card cost 18.00. We received two of them complimentary.

Each soda I got was poured from a can into a glass of ice and then the can was also given to me.

I don't recall seeing a soda fountain.

Dan there's no "soda fountain".

As I said sometimes you will get a can but often the bar tender will give the bar waiter a glass of soda, especially Coke, from that squirty thing they have at the bar that dispenses, club soda & water & Coke. Now if you ordered Sprite or Diet Coke, they probably give you the can.

The price of $18.00 must have been before they implemented the 15% service charge on all bar drinks, including sodas. Lucky you getting 2 complimentary soda cards.

Last year my son and I went to the Costco in Juneau and purchased 2 cases of Dr Pepper and he carried them back on board. No problem. We shared them with the crew and they were thrilled. We did the same thing on Celebrity's "Infinity" this year.